Ninth Words

sâmbătă, 21 ianuarie 2012

Training Goes Wrong

Next morning I woke up being very excited. I bounced downstairs to see dad scolding Nate.

“Where have you been last night, Nate?” He shrugged.

“Here, there…”

Dad glared at my brother and grabbed him by the wrist. Nate growled, for real, making dad stumble back.

“Don’t touch me.” Surprisingly, dad wasn’t shocked or afraid. He was just a little taken back. I put my hand on Nate’s shoulder and pushed him back. He shook my hand off and went upstairs, most likely to his room. When I turned my eyes on dad, he was sitting at the table, hands in his hair. I took the seat next to him, ready to find out what he knew.

“I’m sorry.” He said before I could open my mouth. “You’ve grown and even if I tried to change you, I can’t. I can’t change what you are and the truth is so hard to be kept hidden.” I sighed.

“What’s the truth, dad?” He put his hands down and glanced at me.

“You and Nate aren’t my children. Alice isn’t your mother. I was young when you and your brother were been given to me. I was a vampire slayer when I was in mid-twenties. My teacher came to me and said I had been requested for a special mission. You two were the mission. I, the vampire slayer, had to take care of two vampires as if they were my children. You looked so young and innocent. I accepted. He just told me your parents died and you need protection. Your memories were erased and everything would turn out alright. Lately, things got out of control though. Nate changed, in a different way than normal teenagers. I’m just waiting now for you to do the same. Your memories…” I stopped him.

“Our memories are slowly coming back. Our past is slowly being revived. This town holds half of our past.” He glanced at me sadly.

“I know. That’s why I choose this place. I’ve been doing researches on you and your brother. A vampire told me a few years back about a certain Stella Blanche.”

I raised an eyebrow. “What did he tell you about me?”

“Stella…maybe it will sound weird and fictional but…you’ve killed many people. Humans and vampires.”

“I know about vampires and I know I am one. Nate too. I know everything…I met two other vampires.” He chuckled.

“I know. Do you think I would’ve let the vampire from last night alive if I didn’t know he was good for you? I talked with Eric’s uncle, James. He told me an old friend of yours came to them saying he wanted to protect you.” I chuckled. “I can’t say I trust him completely. Yesterday, your two friends were killed by a vampire too.”

“Yeah…it was Alex. He was ready to bite me when he realized who I was.” He looked worried but didn’t say anything else.

“I trust you and I trust Nate. You have blood in the fridge in the kitchen and there is a supply of it in the basement. You don’t need to kill.” I nodded happily. I went and hugged him.

“Don’t worry, dad. We know what we’re doing. We’re old enough.” He laughed and nodded. I let go of him and went upstairs, to see Nate.

I knocked once and he didn’t respond. I rolled my eyes and opened the door. He was on his back, staring at the ceiling above.

“What do you want?” I went next to the window and watched outside.

“Dad is right. You’ve changed. You used to be funny and flirty and stupid, but now you’re different. You’re much colder.”

“Maybe I am. I spent the last night at Eric’s, talking with his uncle. He told me about you and Eric, about our parents, about Rebecca, everything. He knows something will come and change you, again.” I sighed, my eyes still outside.

“And I need protection? I’ve had my own conversation with Alex last night. I’m sure you met him, right?” He nodded, I could see his reflection on the glass.

“He will train you. I’m sure he can keep you sane and entertained until me and Eric find out what’s going on. Don’t go for an adventure in the forest alone. Many vampires are searching for you.”

I nodded. Nate got off the bed and came behind me. He hugged me from behind, tightly. “I don’t want to lose you, Stella.” I smiled softly.

The rest of the day was eventless. I was reading the fourth book of Twilight when someone suddenly took it from me. I glared at a pair of blue eyes.

“This…” He said while going through pages, “This will destroy your brain and imagination. Vampires aren’t fairies who cry and wait for their long lost lover. We love, we have a heart, but it doesn’t beat anymore. If someone makes us feel loved and we care for someone in a very passionate way, not just sexually, then we…um…our heart doesn’t beat but we feel…warm in a way…?” I watched the younger vampire struggling to find his words. It was amusing. He started doing funny faces while thinking and I couldn’t stop myself from laughing.

“What?” He looked so cute and amusing.

“You feel warm? Love for vampires is just sex, isn’t it? So, I didn’t love Eric and neither did he.” Alex shook his head. I gasped realizing something. “Did I sleep with him?” Alex stared at me with a serious face until he started laughing his ass off.

“This one was good…No, you didn’t.” I nodded and sighed, relieved. ”But that doesn’t mean you’re a virgin.” I widened my eyes. He flashed behind me, near my ear. “You lost it…to me.” I couldn’t hear myself breathing, which right now seemed normal.

“R-Really?” He flashed in front of me and smiled.

“Many people always thought you loved me, this is what you’ll find out from any book about your family, here in Firehole. They were right. You did love me, but it wasn’t the kind of love I wished for.”

“What do you mean?” He sighed. It was easy to see it hurt him, surprisingly.

“Stella…I loved you, a lot. I was still human and I knew you were a vampire, that you could kill me anytime, that you had to marry Eric…yet, I still loved you.” He came closer. “We’ve slept together but…I thought it’s because you loved me too, although you were just mad. It was when you found out Eric wasn’t coming to the Blanche mansion for you anymore. The reason was Rebeca. You were so mad and sad and I guess it was something decided on the spur of the moment. I understood that later and I felt bad. It hurt.”

I gasped. I went over and hugged him.

“I’m sorry.” He chuckled. Maybe he wasn’t really that hurt.

“It was a long, long time ago. It doesn’t matter now. I wanted you to be happy so I left you in Nate’s hands. Maybe if I was there when you really transformed into the devil on Earth, I would’ve ended up like Chris or your parents. Chris wanted to calm you but you killed him. Your father started yelling at you and your mother started yelling at him! It was crazy! You killed them just because they were making too much of a deal! Next, you went to the Arche family’s residence. Cameron wasn’t there, but Eric was. You wanted to kill him too, he was the reason why you went crazy and diabolical after all.”

“But I didn’t. I wanted him to suffer.” Alex nodded. “Wait…how do you know this? You left, right?” I bet if he could, he would’ve blushed right now. “You were spying…” He closed his eyes and smiled, embarrassed.

“Yes...However, making him live knowing he was the one who actually caused so many deaths. And you suffer. That was his…punishment.” I nodded calmly and closed my eyes. I opened them when I felt someone dragging me towards the balcony.

“What are you doing?” He smirked and pushed me. I was falling! I closed my eyes, ready for the pain. I waited, and waited, but there was nothing. I opened my eyes to see myself on my hands and knees, a smirking Alex looking down at me.

“We’ll have to work on this. But the position is good.” He said pointing to an embarrassed me. I glared at him and got up. “Now we’ll see what you can do.” I rolled my eyes. He went with his super vampire speed to the forest while I stood there dumbstruck. He stopped and looked back. “Come on Stella! This should come from the inside!” I nodded and closed my eyes. I started walking normally, then started running faster and faster. “Good. Keep it up like this. It shouldn’t be hard to wake the vampire within you.”

We arrived quickly to a familiar place in the forest. I walked around, fascinated.

“This is…” Alex raised an eyebrow and smirked.

“Familiar? Everything is familiar, Stel. You lived here for a good part of your life. Nothing ever scared you and you usually felt calm and happy in Firehole’s forest.” I nodded. “Now back to business.” He went in front of me and simply stood there. I was ready to ask him what he had on his mind when he showed his fangs and his eyes became red. He ran to me and I didn’t really know what to do. One thing was clear, though. I wasn’t scared, I was confused. In an instant I felt myself being pushed hard in a few trees. I rubbed my head, it hurt a little. “You were supposed to oppose.”

I groaned and got up. He was glaring at me but mostly it annoyed me that look. I transformed him, I should be the one kneeling him. I growled and launched myself at him. He didn’t have time to react, in no time I had Alex below me, bewildered.

“Good enough?” I asked, a smirk playing on my lips and my eyebrow raised in a smug manner. He nodded, still a little perplexed. I did everything pretty fast. Punch in the stomach, pushed down, another punch in the leg, tight grip on his neck, pushed on the ground and straddle so he can’t go anywhere. The result was, apparently, surprising. “Why do I need to be trained, if I already know how to fight?” He pushed me off, easy because I got up willingly.

“You weren’t good at fighting when I met you. You couldn’t hurt a fly!” I narrowed my eyes and scoffed. “You act more like a vampire, now. You should let it control you sometimes. Flirting and smugness come naturally.”

“So does the need of blood. But I resist it.” He stared at me without saying a word. When he wanted to say something my phone rang. It was Sam. “What’s up?” I heard her giggling on the other side of the line.

“Nothing much. Ana’s holding a sleepover tomorrow night. You coming?” I glanced at Alex to see if he had something to object. He looked like he was lost in his own world right then.

“Sure. I don’t have anything to do. See you tomorrow at school.” I hung up and kneeled to Alex. “I’m going home. If you want something, you know where to find me.” I didn’t wait for an answer, I just flashed away. It felt good to have such a speed right now. I was hungry and no food or water would stop the thirst that burned my neck right at that moment.